Pusher type conveyor



Dc. 8, 1964 B. E. LEWIS PU SHER TYPE CONVEYOR Filed Dec. 13, 1961 INVENTOR.

BILLY ERNEST LEW/s BY v ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,160,263 PUSR TYPE CONVEYGR Billy Ernest Lewis, Warren, Mich, assignor to .los. Lamb Company, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Dec. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 158,959 3 Claims. (Cl. 198174) This invention relates to an arrangement of circular brushes for advancing workpieces along a conveyor. Substantially flat brushes have been secured to a travelling portion of a conveyor for sweeping workpieces along a runway and have proved quite satisfactory for handling either workpieces having no rolling characteristics or cylindrical workpieces of relatively small diameter. In.

the latter case there is a definite limit as to the diameter of workpieces which can be successfully handled by flat brushes since, to obtain satisfactory results, the bristles must extend from above the workpieces almost to their horizontal axes, and have sufficient resilience to advance workpieces in front of them. However the bristles cannot extend downward more than about an inch beneath the top of the workpieces to obtain satisfactory operation; if they do and -a number of workpieces are held stationary on the runway the bristles in travelling past them are liable to be so severely flexed that they quickly become deformed and no longer function'satisfactorily, or the bristles may become trapped between adjacent workpieces. Again, if the bristles only extend downward a short distance in front of the upper portions of cylindrical workpieces flat brushes will not operate successfully due to the reduction in the upward inclination adjacent the tops of the workpieces and the tendency for the bristles to jam and wedge against the peripheries of the workpieces with the result that the latter are only haltingly advanced and the brushes tend to pass forwardly over them. i 1

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an arrangement of relatively small diameter circular brushes mounted for movement along a conveyor for advancing relatively large cylindrical workpieces in front of them.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an arrangement wherein travelling circular brushes are positioned to advance cylindrical workpieces along a runway; the advancing workpieces in turn rotate the brushes; and the brush rotation adds impetus to the movement of the workpieces. The inclined pressure angle between the brushes and the workpieces, together with the rotation of the brushes by the workpieces, insures travel of the latter along the runway when only relatively small portions of the tops of said workpieces are engaged by the brushes.

A further object of the invention is to provide such an arrangement wherein, if a number of workpieces are positively held again rotation along the runway, the brushes will readily rotate over the workpieces without damaging or deforming their bristles.

With these and other objects and advantages in view which will become apparent as'the specification proceeds, the invention is hereinafter more fully described with the aid of the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is aside elevation showing part of a conveyor equipped with the "circular brushes.

FIGURE 2 is an end view of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view show ing one of the brushes and its mounting. 7

Referring to the drawing, the general arrangement of the embodiment of the conveyor shown is substantially the same as that in patent application Serial No. 25,701, I

and consists of an endless Lbeam monorail 2 along the 3,l6,263 Ce Patented Dec. 8, 196d lower flanges of which the wheels 3 of longitudinally spaced carriers 4 are adapted to travel. Extending beneath and in vertical alignment with the monorail 2 is an endless cable or chain 5 to which each of the carriers is suitably secured. Means, not shown, are provided for moving the cable continuously around its circuitous path thereby maintaining the carriers uniformly spaced from one another throughout their travel. Dependingly secured to each carrier 4 are laterally opposed bracketso, and supported at opposite extremities by the latter is a pin 7. Mounted for rotation on bearings, preferably ball bearings, 8 on'each pin is the hub of a circular brush 9, and between the outer extremity of each bearing and the adjacent bracket 6 is a spacer 10 mounted on the pin 7. Suitably supported as .by brackets 11one of which is shown in FIGURE 2-is a runway 12 which is uniformly spaced beneath the monorail 2 throughout its length. Workpieces A are adapted to be advanced along the runway by the brushes 9 as the carriers travel around the monorail.

As the endless cable 5 is moved along its paththe lower front portions of the circular bnushes 9 engage the upper rear portions of the cylindrical workpieces A and cause them to roll along the runway 12. When the brushes and the workpieces are moving in contact with one another the workpieces impart rotation to the brushes in the opposite direction to that in which the workpieces are turning and the rotary movement of the brushes aids rotation of the workpieces. Moreover the lower extremities of the brushes need only extend a short distance beneath the upper extremities of the workpieces to effectively and continuously impart rotation to the latter so long as the brushes and workpieces are in con-' tact with one another and the latter are not being held against rotation. In this manner then relatively large cylindrical workpieces may be successfully advanced by circular brushes of very much smaller diameter. Due to the fact that the brushes and the workpieces turn in opposite directions when in contact and the latter are travelling along the runway there is no fear of the bristles binding or jamming against the peripheries of the workpieces and impeding their rotation. If some of the workpieces are held stationary on the runway while movement of the brushes continues, the latter pass readily over the stationary workpieces and while so doing rotate in the opposite direction to that in which they turn when in contact with forwardly rolling workpieces.

The strength and resilience of the bristles, which are usually made of nylon, are of course determined by the weight of the workpieces and the extent to which they are to be flexed by them.

While in the foregoing the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described and shown it is understood that alterations and modifications may be made thereto provided the said alterations and modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is: l

1. In combination, a fixed runway, a plurality of cylindrical workpieces arranged in the runway with their axes extending transversely of the runway so that the workpieces are adapted to roll along the runway and meansfor advancing the workpieces in the runway with a rolling movement comprising a monorail spaced uniformly above the runway, a plurality of carriers depending from the monorail in fixed'position towards the runway, means for moving thecarriers in said fixed position along the runway and a circular brush having radially extending bristles on eachcarrier mounted for free rotation about a generally horizontal axis parallel to and spaced above the top sides of the cylindrical workpieces in the runway, said brushes being adapted to contact the cylindrical surfaces of the workpieces at the top rear portion thereof to impart rolling movement thereto and being adapted to be rotated by said contact with the workpieces in a direction opposite to the direction ofrotation of the rolling workpieces. v

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein the axes of rotation of the brushes are spaced above the runway adistance sufficiently greater'than-the diameter of the; workpieces to enable the brushes to-rol1- over the workpieces by flexing of the brush bristles in the event that the workpieces are prevented from advancing in the runway.

3'. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein .each brush comprises. a center core' with bristles radiating therefrom, the lower surface of the core being spaced above the top sides of the cylindrical workpieces such that the brush bristles are adapted to flex to enable the brushes to roll over workpieces in the runway whose forward movement is arrested.

References .(Iited thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 601,658 Ka'estner Apr. 5, 1898 1,468,626 Brownell Sept. 25, 1923 2,329,184 Cann Sept. 14, 1943 2,859,855 Grafingholt Nov. 11, 1958 3,043,417- Graham; -a July 10, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 102,588 Austria Sept. 15, 1925 

1. IN COMBINATION, A FIXED RUNWAY, A PLURALITY OF CYLINDRICAL WORKPIECES ARRANGED IN THE RUNWAY WITH THEIR AXES EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE RUNWAY SO THAT THE WORKPIECES ARE ADAPTED TO ROLL ALONG THE RUNWAY AND MEANS FOR ADVANCING THE WORKPIECES IN THE RUNWAY WITH A ROLLING MOVEMENT COMPRISING A MONORAIL SPACED UNIFORMLY ABOVE THE RUNWAY, A PLURALITY OF CARRIERS DEPENDING FROM THE MONORAIL IN FIXED POSITION TOWARDS THE RUNWAY, MEANS FOR MOVING THE CARRIERS IN SAID FIXED POSITION ALONG THE RUNWAY AND A CIRCULAR BRUSH HAVING RADIALLY EXTENDING BRISTLES ON EACH CARRIER MOUNTED FOR FREE ROTATION ABOUT A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL AXIS PARALLE TO AND SPACED ABOVE THE TOP SIDES OF THE CYLINDRICAL WORKPIECES IN THE RUNWAY, SAID BRUSHES BEING ADAPTED TO CONTACT THE CYLINDRICAL SURFACES OF THE WORKPIECES AT THE TOP REAR PORTION THEREOF TO IMPART ROLLING MOVEMENT THERETO AND BEING ADAPTED TO BE ROTATED BY SAID CONTACT WITH THE WORKPIECES IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF THE ROLLING WORKPIECES. 